Reformation –1. the act of reforming; the state of being reformed; 2. The 16th century religious movement that led to the establishment of the Protestant churches. On October 31, 1517, a Catholic Priest had the audacity to nail a piece of paper to the door of the church at Wittenberg, Germany. On that paper were outlined 95 items which he felt degraded and disgraced the Church.

Martin Luther is the man most thought of when people observe Reformation Sunday. His work, aimed toward bringing the Church back to basic Christian beliefs, was one of the motivations for other reformers such as John Wycliffe, Jan Huss, and John Calvin. Their original purpose was not to break from the Catholic Church, but to “reform” some of its questionable customs of that time. The mindset of those Catholic Church leaders would not allow them to change and they saw the “protests” as threats against the Church. And so the Protestant churches were born.

Our denomination of the United Church of Christ is actually a combination of several Protestant churches: the German Evangelical, German Reformed, Church of Christ and Congregational churches. We believe, as Martin Luther, that God speaks through the scripture and we express that belief through our “still speaking” campaign. Quoting Gracie Allen, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma,” we realize that we need to sometimes reform our own thinking. We need to understand that once we come to a conclusion, we are not necessarily done with that issue for good. We believe that God is constantly speaking through his Word and we ourselves need to be open to “reform” and new ideas. God is Still Speaking –let’s listen.

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 5, at 2:00 am. So if you don’t want to get up in the middle of the night, better set your clocks back on Saturday. Otherwise, you’ll be an hour ahead Sunday morning (and we wouldn’t want that, would we?). Of course, if you come to church early, you can always hang out with our Sunday School! Everyone is welcome!

Sunday mornings at 9:30 am is Sunday School for ages 3 through 6th grade. This is a great program based on our Hands On Bibles. We’ll have fun making crafts, playing games, and solving puzzles which help us understand the stories in our Hands On Bibles. Come join us as we learn about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Teen Talk is for anyone in 7th grade and above. We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am to talk about God and Jesus, how our lives are influenced by them and how we can be an influence to others around us. There are so many things that try to manipulate us away from God. Come to Teen Talk and find other teens who want to make their faith stronger and be better at dealing with ideas and things that pull us away from being Christians.

Sunday worship service is at 10:30 am and is led by Pastor Lou Aita. We welcome visitors and friends to join us for worship every Sunday.

The church newsletter, The Messenger, is available through our website, emmanuel-ucc.org,along with other information about us and our surrounding communities. You can also check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/emmanuelucc.

Emmanuel United Church of Christ in Dorrance Township houses the Food Bank for the Wapwallopen Ministerium. All contacts are kept strictly confidential as we understand each person’s need for privacy and self-esteem. The food bank is open by appointment only. If we can help you or someone you know, please call (570) 868-5675 and we will provide nourishment for you and those you care for. Please give us at least 24-hour’s notice in order to set up an appointment.

Emmanuel United Church of Christ is located at 7768 Blue Ridge Trail at its intersection with Alberdeen Road (across from Andy’s Gas Station) in Dorrance Township, and we invite you to join us on Sunday mornings for Sunday Worship Service at 10:30 am. We have a Nursery available for children to age 6 during our Worship Service. If you need directions or more information, call the church office at (570) 868-5675. Our church is handicapped accessible.